On Monday morning, as usual, the senator was sipping decaffeinated coffee. Washington is stimulating enough, especially for Sam Nunn. Recently the Georgia Democrat has carried around with him the calm of the eye of the hurricane, his steadiness being brought into high relief by the shortage of that quality elsewhere. He speculates: The 1988 election, like almost all elections, will turn on economic isues. The current crisis could be the needle that punctures Reagan`s balloon of confidence that has kept the economy buoyant in the face of chilling fiscal facts.

The attack on what has been dubbed "trash TV talk shows" has bipartisan support. Democratic Sens. Joesph Liberman of Connecticut and Sam Nunn of Georgia have joined GOP doyan William Bennett in urging corporate advertisers to shun the programming. The three men currently are featured in radio and TV ads urging companies to withdraw sponsorship. Bennett, a former secretary of Education and author of The Book of Virtues, has led the attack against shows that deal with such lofty topics as "How orgies can save marriages" and "Men who run off with their sons' fiancees."

The attack on what has been dubbed "trash TV talk shows" has bipartisan support. Democratic Sens. Joesph Liberman of Connecticut and Sam Nunn of Georgia have joined GOP doyan William Bennett in urging corporate advertisers to shun the programming. The three men currently are featured in radio and TV ads urging companies to withdraw sponsorship. Bennett, a former secretary of Education and author of The Book of Virtues, has led the attack against shows that deal with such lofty topics as "How orgies can save marriages" and "Men who run off with their sons' fiancees."

Sam Nunn's fateful decision to retire from the Senate next year at the politically ripe age of 58 brings new worries to an already troubled Democratic Party. Nunn announced his retirement on Monday in his home state of Georgia, casting a pall over fellow Democrats in the Senate and throughout the South. His departure will remove one of the party's most popular figures in a region once solidly Democratic but now a springboard for resurgent Republicans. Nunn's grave no-nonsense demeanor and his unwavering support for a strong national defense have earned him respect from both parties.

With Sen. Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee in the presidential race, we now have nine announced candidates, seven "leaners," six drop-outs, and 432 commentators who differ on who`s likely to win. Most of the analysts think Gore doesn`t have a chance, counting him out before he`s in, just as in the early days of past campaigns they wrote off Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon. We had better be careful. Everybody knew that Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas was finished when he blew the vice presidential campaign of l976, but here he is creeping to the head of the Republican pack.

Sam Nunn's fateful decision to retire from the Senate next year at the politically ripe age of 58 brings new worries to an already troubled Democratic Party. Nunn announced his retirement on Monday in his home state of Georgia, casting a pall over fellow Democrats in the Senate and throughout the South. His departure will remove one of the party's most popular figures in a region once solidly Democratic but now a springboard for resurgent Republicans. Nunn's grave no-nonsense demeanor and his unwavering support for a strong national defense have earned him respect from both parties.

Last week, as neatly as Caspar Weinberger thinks a laser beam can nail an incoming missile, Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia shot down the Reagan administration`s "broad interpretation" of the ABM Treaty -- and may have affected profoundly the 1988 presidential election. Nunn`s weight on security issues is such that this was clearly a major event in the world of arms control. The possibility that his three Senate speeches were equally important politically -- though he is not now a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination -- was strengthened when Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts confessed that he is, or will be. Proximity, not to mention the governor`s considerable abilities, will make him a strong, perhaps even a favored, contender in the New Hampshire primary next year.

For the 22nd year, Congress is making the Air Force buy more new C-130 military transport aircraft than it wants, changing Pentagon spending priorities and causing early retirement of previously purchased C-130s, according to congressional and military sources. In the past three years, legislators added more than $1.3 billion to Air Force budgets for 28 C-130Js, the newest model of the U.S. military's highly regarded transport. As all of the early versions have been, the C-130J is built by Lockheed Martin Co. in Marietta, Ga., home of such powerful past and present legislators as retired Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga.

WASHINGTON -- With the arrival of spring, Democrats interested in the presidential nomination are finally beginning to stir. Former Sen. Paul E. Tsongas of Massachusetts is the only candidate who is saying now that he intends to run. However, backers of Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the nation`s only black governor, have filed necessary papers with the Federal Election Commission. New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo would be considered the front-runner if he enters the race. Supporters say he is planning to make more appearances outside New York in the coming months.

With Sen. Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee in the presidential race, we now have nine announced candidates, seven "leaners," six drop-outs, and 432 commentators who differ on who`s likely to win. Most of the analysts think Gore doesn`t have a chance, counting him out before he`s in, just as in the early days of past campaigns they wrote off Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon. We had better be careful. Everybody knew that Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas was finished when he blew the vice presidential campaign of l976, but here he is creeping to the head of the Republican pack.

Last week, as neatly as Caspar Weinberger thinks a laser beam can nail an incoming missile, Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia shot down the Reagan administration`s "broad interpretation" of the ABM Treaty -- and may have affected profoundly the 1988 presidential election. Nunn`s weight on security issues is such that this was clearly a major event in the world of arms control. The possibility that his three Senate speeches were equally important politically -- though he is not now a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination -- was strengthened when Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts confessed that he is, or will be. Proximity, not to mention the governor`s considerable abilities, will make him a strong, perhaps even a favored, contender in the New Hampshire primary next year.

On Monday morning, as usual, the senator was sipping decaffeinated coffee. Washington is stimulating enough, especially for Sam Nunn. Recently the Georgia Democrat has carried around with him the calm of the eye of the hurricane, his steadiness being brought into high relief by the shortage of that quality elsewhere. He speculates: The 1988 election, like almost all elections, will turn on economic isues. The current crisis could be the needle that punctures Reagan`s balloon of confidence that has kept the economy buoyant in the face of chilling fiscal facts.

The MX missile, subject of prolonged, heated debate by every Congress since the start of the decade, survived another challenge Tuesday and faced a second one the White House was trying to scuttle. The second proposal, one with a better chance of success, appeared likely to be delayed while the White House negotiated with the its sponsor, Georgia Democrat Sam Nunn. He said it was time President Reagan backed off his insistence on all 100 planned missiles and that they all be put into Minuteman 3 silos.

In a last-ditch effort to avoid a major defeat in the Republican-controlled Senate, President Reagan agreed Thursday night to limit the deployment of MX missiles to 50 unless Congress approves a new system for basing the controversial weapon. The bipartisan compromise worked out with Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., ranking minority member of the Armed Services Committee, also would hold production of the missile to 12 in fiscal l986 and to no more than 21 in l987. All of these missiles would be used as spares or for testing.